[wgmalabama]

If you were like me and always wondered about the wishbone offense and wanted to understand more (mainly history) then you might like this video series.

[dfwgator]

I miss the Wishbone.

[dfwgator]

Back in the day when college football was different than the NFL.

Now CFB is just an NFL Farm League.

[babble-on]

I always wondered what happened. It worked so well, and then..... it didn’t.

[Jim W N]

I think there’s a lot of history in both football and baseball that smart coaches and managers will bring back because of forgotten effectiveness.

[DugwayDuke]

Pretty much a re-invented single wing.

[Robert DeLong]

College Football History: The Wishbone - Part 2

[PROCON]

Is it the Army or Navy academies that still use the Wishbone?

I remember one did for awhile .

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Imagine the wishbone, with a few adjustments, played at a modern fast paced no huddle offense.

[Bishop_Malachi]

Rules changes were the main demise of triple option football (regardless of what formation was used). In the early nineties, rules changed to where offensive linemen could extend their arms and use their hands. That was a huge deal as pass protection became relatively much easier.

Then you have all the recent rules that give preferential treatment to wide receivers and quarterbacks. It has literally transformed the game from a contest where every inch of ground is fought over to “basketball on grass”.

I don’t buy the argument that only defensive players have gotten faster and bigger. EVERYONE has gotten faster and bigger and that includes players on offense too.

Modern football is more akin to Canadian football/Arena Football/Flag Football than it is to classical football pre-1990.

[reed13k]

Navy is running a modified wishbone this year:

https://www.stripes.com/sports/2023-08-16/refined-navy-offense-emerging-newberry-10996804.html

“The Midshipmen will not be a team that throws the ball 30-40 times a game, Chestnut said, emphasizing that the triple option is still the base. The most notable change has been utilizing both under-center and shotgun formations but keeping the fundamentals the same for the offensive line.”

Army has decided to go shotgun, apparently due to rule changes:
https://theathletic.com/4417216/2023/04/17/army-football-monken-triple-option-shotgun/

“But starting this fall, Army’s opponents will no longer have to defend the under-center triple option. This spring, Monken is doing the unthinkable and moving his team to a primarily shotgun offense. He felt he didn’t have a choice in the wake of an under-the-radar NCAA rules change last year that eliminated blocking below the waist — known as cut blocking — anywhere but inside the tackle box.

That familiar quarterback pitch to a running back sprinting around the left side of the line? The one that teams like Oklahoma and Nebraska once employed to win national championships? Turns out it’s a lot harder to spring the runner if a blocker can’t cut the oncoming linebacker flowing toward the perimeter.”

[Burma Jones]

The wishbone is still a thing of beauty when it’s clicking. Many posters have pointed out some of the reasons for its demise, but I will add one more. You have to put up with a fair number of fumbles, which is ironic in light of Darrell Royal’s dictum about passing the ball (”only three things can happen, and two of them are bad”). I think modern coaches are (correctly) more turnover-averse than they were 50 years ago. Relatedly, it’s tough when your offense requires perfect execution over 15-18 plays to score; too many chances for things to go wrong.

[spankalib]

I like football history - and studying coaching.

I've read Coach Wyatt's blog for over 20 years...he's the nation's premier football historian imho, outstanding.

https://coachwyatt.com/ (click on "News...")